In conversation with Panch Nishan
We are delighted to share our deep conversation with the wonderful Kundalini Yoga teacher and Leadership Coach Panch Nishan Khalsa, in which she passionately talks about why Kundalini Yoga is so essential during this time of radical change, her favorite yogic tips to strengthen immunity, an awakening moment during quarantine and her biggest gift of this pandemic. She invites us to her Energy Management Immersion course, a transformative 6 week online program leading people closer to their divinity and cultivating community.
Panch Nishan Khalsa studied directly with the Master of Kundalini Yoga, Yoghi Bhajan and has over 20 years teaching experience all over the world. As dedicated Kundalini practitioners ourselves, her inspirational wisdom and vision to express love, grace and unity is infectious, and spreads abundantly through her teachings.
Why is practicing Kundalini Yoga so essential during this time of radical change?
Strong nerves! Kundalini Yoga is one of the best nerve strengthening techniques I know and strong nerves are a ‘make it or break it’ factor in times of intensive change. With strong nerves we can adapt to radical change. Kundalini Yoga creates resilience in times of stress, mental flexibility and adaptability. It stimulates our frontal lobe so we can make decisions aligned with our values rather than drop into survivalist mentality.
It also works to keep the immune system strong and in this particular radical change we are facing with the global pandemic, it is a tool that can help keep us healthy. It is interesting to look at who is getting this virus and who isn’t or those who have no symptoms and how we can potentially take better care of ourselves to boost our immune systems as a preventative measure, from what we eat, to how we exercise and the state of our mental health.
Kundalini Yoga is a Raj Yog – Raj means leader or king. It awakens your leadership capacity also needed in these times – to stop just accepting what is and start spearheading positive change in your sphere of influence.
My daily practice starts with Japji – a recitation that sets my mind for the day in flow with my soul, my essence, it balances me and reciting these words gives me the touch of the sacred, a sound current that uplifts me.
How do you stay centered in the storm? What does your daily spiritual practice look like?
Breath and Prayer….which are not so different! Both have been helping me tremendously, leaning on, trusting, communicating with, getting comfortable with the unknow – prayer. And digging for my breath when fears, anxieties, overwhelm comes in, regulating my breath to keep even. Even as simple as 8 second inhale, 8 second exhale – keeping my diaphragm moving!
My daily practice starts with Japji – a recitation that sets my mind for the day in flow with my soul, my essence, it balances me and reciting these words gives me the touch of the sacred, a sound current that uplifts me.
I do a 3 minute immune boosting pranayam and 25 minute meditation for inner stability that are so helpful for both keeping the lungs healthy and the mental body stable. Then I do a kundalini yoga series. Lately I’ve been practicing the set for balancing the 10 bodies or Saahibee Kriya to master your own domain. Actually I made a bundle of 4 meditations ‘Strong & Uplifted’ as I wanted to share what has been serving me to stay physically healthy, mentally stable and my spirit uplifted in this time. You can access the first 2 techniques I mention here. I’ve also recently added one more pranayam or breathing technique that we will do for the 40 day on-line course about to launch as I wanted to test it before leading a group in it. It is a fantastic 11 minute meditation and offers the benefit of maintaining physical and mental youthfulness and awakens a constant flow of energy. It is a 3000 year old technique to help preserve the pranas, retain energy to stay young, happy, intuitive and optimistic. I love it! And looking so forward to share a 40 day practice of it!
Your personal mantra you live by...
Anything is possible! I deeply believe in the power of transformation and our individual and collective capacity to co-create our reality. Anything is possible, the sky is not the limit, we are unlimited!
An awakening moment during this quarantine, that you would like to share:
An awakening moment. Ok…. I realized I was born for this. Born for these times, born for this intensity, born to help assist these times of great change and grow myself through it as well. An awakening or expansion of heart, sensing the pain and suffering from this pandemic and beyond this pandemic in the world, at this time, and at the same time sensing the happiness and joy in each moment. An expansion in the heart to allow all these polarities to co-exist and touch the depth of my humanity and what connects us.
This virus was/is a leveler that strips away all the layers and masks, a reminder of what’s really important, a reminder we are all connected. I had a deep prayer in this time to go further into this myself – to sharpen my practice of non-judgement and truly see the soul, see the god, see the same source in each pair of eyes I meet.
What are your 5 yogic tips to strengthen your immunity:
3 Minute Immune Boosting Pranayam for the Inner Sun accessible here
Cold showers
Ginger shots, ginger tea….shout out for LA Cold Press Wellness Shots!
Eat what you can digest
DoTerra – On Guard – external oil or pellets to take internally….I have both!
What do you see as the biggest gift during this pandemic?
It is accelerating me further out of my comfort zone! Created space & time to be creative and find new mediums for sharing and delivering what I am passionate about since I could no longer teach yoga & mediation in person….see below! Gives me more time with my ‘vorschulkind’ before he starts 1stgrade, hopefully in August! I’ve also been much more attuned to our inter-dependence both in my family unit, with my projects and as a society…the team work I’ve experienced, felt and seen at large is definitely a gift!
How do you imagine the new normal on the planet?
What a beautiful question…..
I imagine life being treated as a sacred gift. That we care better for our bodies, for ourselves, for others, for this planet and experience how they are all connected. People helping each other. I see a time of innovation where we live a high quality clean life– clean body, clean mind, clean relationships, clean air. That we stop hurting and abusing ourselves and others. Where love takes over where we use our capacity, our lung capacity, our human potential and wake up and stop wasting life. Where we re-prioritize and prosper together. Where we put our capacities together and create a wonderful world driven by values rather than profit.
I imagine there will be advancing with technology, AI and other innovations and at the same time a returning to the roots a co-existing. I imagine a time of prosperity on the planet where people are covered, where food is distributed properly, where we eliminate hunger, it is not needed, there is enough for everyone.
I also see or sense, that we are going to have a lot more of crises to face. That what my 6 year old child experienced during corona pandemic might become like a drill for him during his life. My sense is more turmoil is coming before we ‘get there.’ And this is going to require adaptability and for those who can’t adapt it is going to be really tough and some people will go a bit crazy. For these times practices like mediation, any form of meditation, become no longer a luxury, a hobby, a lifestyle niche….they will become a must for survival, for staying sane and mentally balanced.
The new normal I imagine is one of Awakening to transition us from where we are to where we have the potential to be as a humanity, living individually, and living collectively, bringing to life our universality.
You are launching a 6 week Energy Management Immersion online course on April 28th. What inspired you to do this course? What can we expect?
The inspiration for this course came from a few different angles. 1 – I know how difficult it can be to start new habits and cultivating a habit of daily meditation & yoga included! I wanted to make it easier, offer support, inspiration, and cultivate a community of support around a daily practice. 2 – It is a topic really dear to me that I’ve personally worked on a lot – Energy Management, focusing what we give our energy to in order to multiply impact and fulfillment, re-orienting what drains our energy and also boosting our energy to be accomplished and uplifted. To have enough energy for what we are investing it in and to have ease as we do it! 3 – Since my early 20’s I’ve combined my practice of Kundalini Yoga with coaching and I found it took me so much further than either 1 alone could do. So as both a Kundalini Yoga Teacher and a coach, I’m experimenting with bringing the two together in a course format to help integrate the changes that occur with a Kundalini Yoga Practice into daily life with weekly self reflection exercises to strengthen new habits, patterns and conscious choices. 4 – I was also inspired to create this course as it was something I was looking for myself, especially after giving birth to my child. My time and energy was limited, I wanted to be led through a practice. And I wanted something short and effective not the 90 minute yoga class format, rather a daily practice. This course is a time commitment of about 30 – 45 minutes a day. With short and potent practices for mamas or people without a lot of time, to get the time to connect with themselves, get an energy boost and make a shift.
Daily Meditation - A 40 day 11 minute meditation challenge with inspiration, motivation and support.
6 Kundalini Yoga Sets - Each week a new video class will be available guiding you through a practice of Kundalini Yoga.
6 Self Reflection & Inspiration Videos - Every week we will explore a different theme that introduces the yoga set and helps to integrate the changes of yoga & meditation OFF the mat through exploring questions and coaching tools for self reflection.
5 Bonus tools - Tool Set to support you in daily life, short & sweet to live a life of excellence.
2 Live Sessions - Twice over the 6 weeks, course facilitator Panch Nishan will go live to practice the daily meditation together, motivate you and answer your questions.
Accountability Community - Access to a private Community Support Forum throughout the course and interaction with fellow Energy Management Immersion participants.
Sign up here for the Energy Immersion Program starting on April 28th and enjoy 11% discount with code energy11.
